We're all scanning barcodes every day, but you can turn barcodes into bargains, on the spot, by arming your smartphone with an app that's going to make you a smarter shopper. Instead of prowling the aisles for bargains or scouring the web, barcode scanner smartphone apps give you power to do both. People shopping right next to you may already be using them.

Deborah Heshmatpour, shopper: "Click on it and it gives you all the information you want. I find them quite helpful."

Mayo: "You've saved money with them?"

Heshmatpour: "Sure, yeah, absolutely."

The apps have names like ShopSavvy and Red Laser. You can download them to your phone for free from the Apple, Google and Microsoft app stores. They're easy to use.

"Looking at a DVD player, right? So, we take this over here and we scan the price code. Pause … ding!" said Mayo in the store. We found prices ranging from as high as $50 to as low as $22, store by store.

"This is the direction we're moving. I think it's a great benefit. It's one of those accessibility things that I think will definitely help the consumer out," said Matt Gouveia, of Elizabeth Township.

Best Buy and Walmart let us scan their barcodes and talk with their shoppers. Many big retailers are now welcoming this trend, not fighting it.

"They scan this, they say, 'Look, I got a cheaper price here,'" said Keith Wassel, general manager of the Best Buy at the Waterfront.

Mayo: "What do you say to a customer that confronts you with a cheaper price they scanned on their phone?"

"Well, that's awesome, no problem. We can match any price that you pull up on site there," said Wassel.

Mayo: "This Chromebook laptop is on display up here. The box with the price code is down here, but since we can see in, the barcode reader can see in, too."

"I think that's a really good app to have," said Chris Valeriano, of Munhall, who was shopping for her daughter.

Mayo made sure she had the lowest price for her new iPhone case and in the process found lower prices for her daughter's DVD.

Mayo: "The lowest would be $6.49. The highest would be $12.44. What do you think of that sort of price spread?"

Cathy Thomas, of the Hill District, was buying movies when Mayo asked her what movie she had. When she replied, "Expendables 2," he offered to check the price to see if there was a better deal. He found a price at a nearby store that was 34 percent lower.

Mayo: "What do you think of that price difference?"

Thomas: "It's a big price difference."

The store matched it for her at the Best Buy checkout.

When Mayo asked her, "What do you think of the deal?” She replied, "It was a great deal because I save money. I'm going to download that app."

Dan Kelly, of Homestead, had already bought his new turntable for $129.99 when Mayo scanned it and found it online for $99.99.

Mayo: "How do you feel about seeing a lower price?"

Kelly: "Considering the fact that I wanted it today and I didn't want to order it online, it was well worth the extra $30."

At the Walmart in West Mifflin, Mayo asked, "No one's going to look at me funny if I say, 'Hey, I have a better price on my phone?'"

Yvette Brantley, the assistant manager, responded, "No, not at all, not at all. We're used to it. It's actually second nature now. It's what people are doing now, we understand that. This is the way the world is moving. It’s technology."

What about small independent retailers? Mayo took the app test to Daniel's Discount in South Park Township, where they scanned their products to see how their prices compare.

When Mayo scanned an item it showed up for $129 at Home Depot and $129.99 at Ace Hardware. He spoke to the store owner and asked, "What's your price on this item?"

Owner Marty Whaley said, "This item is currently for $114."

That's right -- some of his prices are cheaper -- but he's not on the app or web radar. "I guess we have to find out how to get into the app and be a part of that. You have to adapt and you have to compete," he said.

As shoppers a lot of us are adapting so fast and retailers are hurrying to keep up.

What about those everyday items that sometimes you can't find at your neighborhood grocery store?

Here's a trick: scan the barcode at home. The app can tell you where else you can find it on the shelves.